Serra bandies around words like perfection and execution, titles that have been a long time coming for a program that in recent years has had an abundance of athletes and an almost equal amount of failure at unexpected moments.

Serra (4-0) takes its undefeated record to Woodland Hills to face Taft (4-0) tonight at 7 in a matchup of skill teams that probably won’t play another team as talented as the other until at least the second round of the playoffs.

For Serra, it represents a midseason watershed moment. A victory over Taft, to go with its earlier victory over Carson, solidifies its standing in the South Bay, but outside this small world, carries greatest distinction in Southland football.

“It is a big game for us, without a doubt,” Serra coach Scott Altenberg said.

Altenberg knows Serra is in for a crucial defensive test. The Cavaliers must prove their athletes can run with more of the L.A. City Section’s best. And they must prove they can avoid the breakdowns that have hurt them in the past – the kind they’ve been able to eliminate this season.

“You can play well against Taft for 30 plays and it’s the six plays you don’t play well against them that they beat you on,” Altenberg said. “So in that respect, it’s definitely a challenge to see if we can put together four full quarters and play mistake-free football against a team that will come get you.”

Taft’s targets are running back D.J. Morgan, who has gained 609 yards and scored six touchdowns in 57 carries. He is complemented by Shaquille Shelton (24 carries, 163 yards) and Antuan Goodall (19 carries, 113 yards). Quarterback Nicholas Stephens has passed for 306 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Goodall can also play quarterback and has passed for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

Altenberg said Serra’s offense will face its best nonleague test of the season against the Taft defense, which hasn’t faced a skilled and diverse offensive unit such as Serra’s this season. Banning challenged Taft last week in a 23-14 loss, but Banning was beaten by a handful of breakdowns despite playing well.

“Taft has absolute ball hawks on defense,” Altenberg said. “They go after the ball. It can just drive you crazy when you play a team like that, which forces you to bear down.”

But Serra believes it is up to the task for several reasons. Serra returns 14 starters from its 10-2 team of last year. The experience factor has been tangible for Serra, which hasn’t beaten itself in critical moments thus far.

“We’re just more experienced,” Altenberg said. “We are. We’re making a lot less mistakes and taking advantage of the mistakes other teams give us. If they’re giving it, we’re taking it. That comes with experience.”

“At this point, we definitely feel like we have more team speed than we did a year ago and have more focus and discipline as a team,” Landers said. “You need those qualities against good teams.”

Landers has developed into a solid quarterback. He has completed 47 of 70 passes for 675 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. Winston has rushed 82 times for 636 yards and six touchdowns. Receiver Robert Woods, an emerging offensive factor, has 15 receptions for 291 yards and four touchdowns. Winston (11 catches, 122 yards, two touchdowns) and George Farmer (12 catches, 152 yards, two touchdowns) are also options.

Altenberg believes much of that offensive success is traced to Tuihalamaka. His presence, paired with Landers’ experience and patience and Winston’s newfound ability to not try to only beat the first defender, is why Serra believes its test with Taft is a precursor to a prolonged playoff run.

“(Tuihalamaka) had 10 tackles against Carson, which is unheard of for a defensive tackle at this level,” Altenberg said. “Without him, I don’t know where we’d really be.”

Winston thinks that skill, experience and confidence have all translated for Serra.

“We work better as a team in a lot of ways,” Winston said. “That’s noticeable.”

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